[Lecture Three] Induction in Physics and Philosophy
by Dr. Leonard Peikoff
Total Time: 1 hour, 43 minutes
Course summary: This course features Dr. Peikoff’s presentation of his solution to the problem of induction. He discusses the axioms of induction and the role of measurement omission and relates them to the process of forming generalizations. By comparing these features to the process of concept formation, Peikoff indicates the parallels in logic that give rise to new insights about the relationship between induction and deduction. Special attention is given to the similarities between physics and philosophy. Read more »
In this lecture: This lecture continues the analysis of first-level and higher level generalizations. Dr. Peikoff provides examples of how the method of difference and agreement function. He discusses the role of cognitive “green lights” to induction. Peikoff introduces the role of quantitative relationships in induction through the history of physics.
Study Guide
This material is designed to help you digest the lecture content. You can also download below a PDF study guide for the entire course.
| How does a scientist determine the standard of relevance for factors involved in causation? |
| What are the methods of difference and agreement? Give examples. |
| How is the method of difference related to the process of conceptualization? |
| Does the process of induction rely upon quantity? |
| How does Galileo’s process of induction rely upon his concepts? |
| How do reduction and integration play a role in induction? |
| What process is necessary to rise up into higher and higher levels of induction? |
| What does it mean to have a “green light”’ to induction? |
| What are the four ways that quantitative relationships are important? |
Q&A Guide
Below is a list of questions from the audience taken from this lecture, along with (approximate) time stamps.
| 1:23:56 | What are the philosophic reasons why Aristotle would not have thought to do an experiment like dropping two bodies? |
| 1:27:54 | Did I understand you correctly that the experimentation in physics is the means to mathematics? |
| 1:28:30 | If we heard a crashing sound behind you, must we be allowed to conclude that that sound was caused by entities? |
| 1:30:42 | What if a child failed to have a conclusion because all the men he observed on his block wore black pants? |
| 1:33:03 | Is the mind something like a computer, where, at the base of concept formation, there is a simple “on” vs. “off”? |
| 1:34:08 | Do you think the Founding Fathers made a crucial error in not ascribing all the attributes of man to slaves? |
| 1:39:20 | Will you be addressing the process of generalization in psychology, how a person forms basic premises, metaphysical value judgments? |
| 1:39:54 | When you form first-level concepts, isn’t there already implicit a generalization there… what comes first? |
| 1:41:40 | Do you think that the lack of measurement in the social sciences, such as psychology, is responsible for their lack of progress in scientific circles? |